For nearly 3,000 years -- probably longer -- the Strait of Messina,
which separates Sicily from mainland Italy, has been notorious as one
of the more volatile places on Earth. In the Odyssey,
bloodthirsty sea monsters devoured those who tried to cross the
passage. And over the millennia, it has been the site of
ship-swallowing whirlpools and catastrophes like earthquakes, not to
mention Mafia scandals.

But Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi vows that the strait will soon be
the home of a new legend -- the world's longest suspension bridge. As
the Italian government prepares to begin construction next year,
FRONTLINE/World Fellow Mary Spicuzza traveled to Sicily to
explore the storm building over the plans for a bridge across the
Strait of Messina.

Mary Spicuzza was selected as a FRONTLINE/World Fellow
in 2003. She will finish dual master's degrees in
journalism and international studies at the University
of California at Berkeley in 2004.
Read a discussion
with Spicuzza about
"A Bridge Too Far?"

Part of the Web-exclusive FRONTLINE/World Fellowship program.
FRONTLINE/World is exploring partnerships with some of
the leading graduate schools of journalism around the United States
with the goal of identifying and developing the best of an emerging
generation of journalists. The FRONTLINE/World Fellowship
program is supported by Carnegie
Corporation of New York.
Read more about the program.